This past Sunday I drove west about 30 miles, to Brattleboro, Vermont, where the best of what a core group of people in a community can do was on full display. From the early 1920s, when outdoor visionary Fred Harris, founder of both the Brattleboro Outing Club and the Dartmouth Outing Club, brought Brattleboro to […]
new england
New England
Black History Month and Black Heritage Trails
February is Black History Month and New England’s history is linked with the African-American experience in many ways. Have you been on the Black Heritage Trail, a walking tour of Boston’s Beacon Hill? Chances are you haven’t, but you’ll find historic brick buildings, cobble-stoned paths, and surprising history. Get Our FREE Yankee Best New England […]
My niece Emma is learning how to fly-fish. Her 8-year-old body sways against a summer sky. Her arms memorize the to-and-fro of the cast, the feel of fishing line gliding across her palm as she launches it skyward. Nearby, adventure guide Josh Hardt watches his pupils–Emma and her father, Paul. After an hour’s tutorial, they’re […]
When I first came here to Mary’s farm, I named the place “Stillpoint” because it was so quiet here and because it was the still point in my turning world. It still is that, even as the world turns ever faster. The stillness in the early spring is especially profound, with the fields still deep […]
With April showers, signs of life finally begin to spring from long-dormant earth–first the croci, then the real edibles. We talked to New England chefs about what they hanker for and why. These fresh ingredients will arrive in your gardens and local farmers’ markets at varying times depending on where you live in New England, […]
Quite a few readers have written or e-mailed us over the past few months as a result of Yankee‘s article in last year’s fall issue on New Hampshire’s Monadnock region. “What sorts of properties are available in that area right now?” they ask. So we’ve spent a little time moseying around the 40 towns and […]
Travel
United States/Canada Border
No roads follow the neat borderline between New England and Canada that you see on the map. Instead, you have to traverse, back and forth, in and out of Canada–a rough stitch that has pulled the two countries together since before either of them was a nation. This is the story of that line–a line […]
Once upon a time, “take me out to the ball game” seemed like such an innocent request. The song’s refrain asked for nothing but a carefree afternoon at the park, eating Cracker Jack and delighting in the sheer joy of a baseball game. I don’t recall any verse about luxury seats, or paying $25 to […]
Gardens
Early Blooms in New England
Gardeners know winter really does end, and spring color always returns. Pansies, daffodils, and forsythia commonly herald the vernal transition, but still other blooms also contribute to a stunning early-season display. Get Our FREE Yankee Best New England Vacations Guide! Email(Required) Subscribe Here’s how three New England gardens host diverse plantings that strut their stuff […]
Connecticut
Last Green Valley: Northeastern Connecticut
The Last Green Valley in northeastern CT (and MA): An oasis of peace old-time nostalgia. Trails to hike, places to stay, meals to eat, gifts to buy, and what to do with the kids. When You Go —Yankee-recommended places to hike, stay, eat, and shop in Connecticut’s Last Green Valley. The skies don’t lie. From […]
New England
College Art Museums: Top 5 in New England
We asked critic Edgar Allen Beem, author of Yankee’s art blog, “Just Looking,” to name the five best college art museums in New England. After “weeks of soul searching” (and omitting the obvious giants, such as Harvard and Yale), he made his choices. Bowdoin College Museum of Art Brunswick, ME This McKim, Mead & White […]
Magazine
Stone Wall Defender Robert Thorson
SLIDE SHOW: New England stone walls by William Hubbell, from Good Fences: A Pictorial History of New England’s Stone Walls (Down East Books, 2006; $29.95) When geologist Robert Thorson came to work at the University of Connecticut in 1984, he was smitten by stone walls. In all his travels–from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest to […]